Treatment of titaniferous iron ores.



ALF, SINDING-LARSEN, OF CHRISTIANIA, NORWAY.

TREATMENT OF TITANIFEROUS IRON ORES.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALF SINDING-LARSEN, a subject of the King of Norway, residing at Christiania, Norway, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Treatment of Titaniferous Iron Ores; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the treatment of titaniferous ironores and consists in a combined process, whereby I obtain from titaniferous iron ore valuable products at so low costs that a remunerative industry may be established thereon.

It is. a well known fact that titaniferous iron ore has not heretofore been in high repute, firstly because said ore is stubborn and gives refractory slags, and secondly because titanic acid, which in most titaniferous ores constitutes one of the principal component parts, and which if the process is to be remunerative, must also yield a salable product, has not hitherto been so largely utilized that any considerable quantities thereof could be sold, and thirdly, because the content of titanium in the iron produced, has proved to have a bad influence on the iron most likely on account of its being instrumental to the absorption of nitrogen.

My process which is performed in two principal. operations, has, in short, for its object to produce from titaniferous iron ore an iron free from titanium and nitrogen, and also to produce titanium nitrogen compounds. The iron or steel produced in accordance with the said process will be largely possessed of the'properties required in a first class iron, and the titanic nitrid obtained as a by-product maybe used either unmixed or with the addition of other substances, as a nitrogen fertilizer, or may form the fundamental material for the production of other nitrogen compounds, which will materially tendto render the process economically profitable.

The different steps of the process are as follows:

-(1) The titaniferous iron ore is subjected to reduction in an electric furnace, either: (a) in one operation to obtain an iron alloy containing much titanium, or (b) in two operations, the iron being first reduced using a basic slag bath, whereby the titanic acid Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 10, 1907.

Patented J une 20, 1911. Serial No. 405,878.

goes into the slag, forming titanates, which are thereupon reduced separately for titamum.

(2, a) If the process (1. a) is employed, the titanic iron thus obtained is submitted to treatment with nitrogen in a converter or the like. The titanic nitrid obtained thereby is discharged as a product, while the iron thus freed of the greater part of the titan1um contained in'it is submitted, in the same or some other converter, to a treatment with a current of superheated steam. By this treatment the titaniumnitrogen compoundsthe titanium nitrogen-carbon com pounds, the iron-nitrogen compounds, and, it may be, the 'iron-nitrogen-carbon compounds, contained in the iron, will be decomposed, the resulting product being an iron entirely free from titanium and nitrogen. (If it is then desired to submit the iron to usual bessemerizing with a blast of air in order to oxidize impurities such as sulfur, silicon, etc., this may, as a matter of course, be done in the-same converter, if such converter has beforehand beenadapted, or lined for the purpose).

(b) On the other hand, if the process (1. b) is made use of, the iron is at once treated with steam in the converter, while the titanium separately obtained, (it may be in the form of an alloy more easily fusible,) -is submitted to nitrogen-treatment in a special converter, thereby obtaining the same products as by the method described under (2. a), an iron free fromnitrogen and titanium, and titanic nitrid. The gaseous and by way of the latter fornitric acid and all compounds derived therefrom, treating it with higher, easily reducible oxids thereby obtaining nitrogen ;oxids, titanic acidand the reduction ployeda As the titanic acid and the titanium itself product of the higher oxid emsuch as for instance,

i- Pu e;-

have very: high melting points it is advan tageous," when reducing the titanic acid separately, to add to'the char e some other material such as copper, lea or the like, with which the titanium forms a more easily I fusible alloy or an oxid of such a metal. If Jit. is desired to obtain the titanium erfectly a volatile metal such as lead for example, or an oxid of such metal is added to the charge. After the reduction process this f additional jmetal is then removed from the,

titanium by distillation. "The converters for the o eration described above may be electrical y heated being'in, that case constructed as electric inductionor resistance-furnaces.

I believe to have by the method described above invented a process by whichtitan- ,iferous iron ore is enabled not only to obtain the-same but even a higher value than the ironores commonly used, and which will enable an extensive metallurgic and chemical industryito, be based on it.

- I claim ljThem thod of treating titaniferous iron'jor'e, comprising reducing the ore to crude metal, then transforming nearly all of the. titanium into titanic nitrid by treating itwith hitrogemseparating metal and slag and 3 0 jsubsequent1y submitting the iron, still con- *ta'ining some titanium residue, to bessemerizing with superheated steam, in order to ob- I tain an iron' free from titanium and nitrogen. 2, The method of treating titaniferous ironore, comprising reducingthe ore in an electric furnace and transforming the-titaniumobtained-tjo 'an easily fusible alloy, then transformin nearly all of said titanium into .":tit'anicnitri by treating the alloy with nij trogen',- ;:subm1tting the resulting titaniumcarrying iron to bessemerizing with superjate'd steam'to remove the titanium residue order to obtain aniron free from titanium nitrogen. Y

The. method of. treating titaniferous re,,-'consisting-in= reducing the ore, subg the ,t'tanium iron alloy obtained by eduction. to atreatment with nitroandjthe iron resulting therefrom to a merizing with superheated steam.

The methodl-iof treating titaniferous iron ore, which comprises reducing the ore to crude metal in a basic furnace,separating metal and slag, and bessemerizing the metal with steam to removethe titanium.

5. The method of treating titanlferous iron ore, which comprises reducing the ore to crude metal,-the n transforming nearly all the titanium into titanic nitrid by treating it with nitrogen, and subsequently bessemerizing the iron with superheated steam to cause the remaining titanium residue to pass irlito the slag and separating the metal and s a 1 i f The method of treating titaniferous iron ore, which comprises reducing the ore to crude metal, transforming nearly all of the titanium into titanic nitrid by treating it with nitrogen, bessemerizing the iron with superheated steam to cause the remaining titanium to enter the slag, separating metal and slag, and absorbing the nitrogen compounds formed during the bessemerizing in a suitable absorbent.

7 The method 'of treating titaniferous iron ore, which comprises reducing the ore to crude metal, then transforming nearly all of the titanium into titanic nitrid by treating it with air and causing the titanium nitrid to enter the slag, and subsequently bessemerizing the iron with superheated steam to cause any remaining titanium to pass into the slag and separating metal and sla 1 8 The method of treatin titaniferous iron ore, which comprises re ucing the ore to crude metal, transforming nearly all of the titanium into titanic nitrid by treating it with air, bessemer izing the iron with su-.

perheated steam to cause 'the' remaining titanium to enter the-slag, separating the metal and slag and absorbing the nitrogen compounds formed during the bessemerizmg in a suit-able absorbent.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my, name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALF SINDING-LAQRSElT.

Witnesses:

HENRY BORDEWIG AUG. OLSEN. 

